Astonished

Mark 1:21 ( ESV )

---

^21£And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching.

     Imagine being either Andrew, Peter, James or John and you are walking with Jesus. This was truly incredible, just four lowly fishermen and they are conversing and walking with the creator of the universe.  There is nothing like walking and talking with someone along a road and getting to know them for who they are. All of the disciples had this privilege in their lives.

     Our passage tells us that they now came upon the fishing village of Capernaum. It was a prosperous town with a major road going through it. The town was also important enough to have a Roman garrison placed there as well. We are also told by this verse that there was also a synagogue located in the village itself.

    Your typical synagogue was known as a place for worship and teaching of the Word. They became important to the Jewish people after they returned from their captivity. Visiting Rabbis were welcomed to speak and open up the Word to the people within the temple area. Jesus Himself would take advantage of this custom on several occasions in His ministry. He entered this synagogue on a Sabbath and began to teach those who were in the building.

Mark 1:22 ( ESV )

---

²²And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

     The Bible then goes on to tell us that Jesus teaching literally left them dumbstruck. They had never heard anyone speak like Him before. His teaching amazed them with what He had to say. Now that phrase stands out to me in this passage. How did Jesus teaching differ from the rest of the men that they had heard before?

     I believe that the answer to why Jesus teaching was so different to them is found in the rest of the verse. He did not teach them as the scribes of their day would teach them. You see the scribes as a whole were only reciting what other scribes before them had stated. Thus traditions and a parroting effect had taken over the teaching in the synagogues.

     We see this today behind the pulpit as men only repeat what another pastor has said before them. Pastors or speakers will find their next sermon on the internet as preached by someone else. They will change a few words here and there and then claim it as their own. There is nothing wrong with us learning and getting ideas from other Spirit filled men. The problem is when we no longer study or question or think through the passage ourselves. Men are becoming lazy as they prepare the Word instead of looking for fresh Manna that only the Word and the Spirit of God can give to us.

     Listening to a pastor awhile back I came to find out that he had just copied it from the internet. I could understand a man even using many of the thoughts from the passage or giving credit to the one who wrote it. Instead he claimed it as insights he had gained from the Word of God. This not only happened once but has slowly become a habit in the man’s life.

     If we wish to have any authority in this world with the Word of God let it be through our sweat, pleading, studying and seeking the Holy Spirit of God to teach us what the Word means.

     Jesus spoke with authority from the Word of God for He knew what it said. He spoke and the people listened for they were challenged to live changed and holy lives. We will never have the authority that He had when He used the Word of God. Yet, might we seek to know and share the Word of God through reliance upon Him.

     I do believe that we can learn from other Spirit filled men about what the Word says. We should read the great commentators and glean from them the truths of Scripture. Many men refuse to read today and grow in their walks by listening to the giants of the faith. Yet, once again may we as teachers of the Word of God be known for our diligent study and prayer.

     As we go through this verse as well as verse 27, we find two things the people were astonished at about Jesus authority. One: They were astonished at His Words. Two: They were astonished with His power over the evil spirits. This would imply His actions. His words and actions impacted the people greatly.

Mark 1:23 ( ESV )

---

²³And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out,

     Just as soon as Jesus showed up in the synagogue so also did a man who was demon possessed. This will not be the first time that we see Jesus encountering men who are possessed by evil spirits. The incredible part of this passage as well as later on in chapter one is where these men choose to approach Jesus at.

     Here in this verse as well as in verse 39 we are told that Jesus would be confronted by these demon possessed men in a synagogue. A house of worship meant for the glory of God. We must realize brothers and sisters that no place is safe or more sacred that Satan does not want to work. Why should we be surprised at this fact? We are told how that Satan will try to sow tares among the wheat. We are told how that wolves will try to enter into the house of God. We need to be those who are not paranoid but cautious about the wiles of the devil.

Mark 1:24 ( ESV )

---

²⁴“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”

     Even the demons had a better theology than some of the priest of their day. Note what the verse says: 1) He is aware of a time in which Jesus will bring punishment upon them. 2) The demon or demons knew that Jesus was the Holy One of God. They knew that He was the Messiah and the Perfect one. We also know that even with this knowledge that this knowledge of the facts or their belief in these facts would not save them. James 2:19

     I fear today for those who know all the facts about Jesus and still yet do not know Him. It is possible for a person to quote scripture, know all the right religious terms and pray their prayers at night and still be lost. This was rampant during the time of Christ and is still rampant among us today.

Mark 1:25-26 ( ESV )

---

²⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”

---

²⁶And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him.

     When I read verse 25 I do not believe that Jesus made a huge dramatic statement. I believe that He simply looked and said, “Be silent and come out of him.” This was the type of authority that Jesus had. In just seven simple words the unclean spirit within the man convulsed, cried out loudly and left the man.

     The question among some though would still be why did Jesus tell the demon to be quiet? Jesus will not only do this in this passage but often when dealing with demon possession he would tell them to shut up. Many times the demon would be speaking the truth about who Jesus was. So why would Jesus tell them to, “Be silent?” 

     Later on we will find out that one of the charges that would be brought up against Jesus was that He was in league with the devil. They would even go as far as to say that His miracles were being done by the power of Beelzebub. What blasphemy. I believe that Jesus knowing this would be one of the charges did not want the people to think that the demons were saying these things as if to fool them into following a false prophet. Jesus was aware of how people would wrap words around to satisfy their evil thinking. This is the reason why I believe He told them to be silent.

Mark 1:27-28 ( ESV )

---

²⁷And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

---

²⁸And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

     What is this? They were astonished once again as they saw the power of God demonstrated before their eyes. When they saw that Jesus had this type of authority they had to spread the word about him far and near. Could this be the Messiah to come had to have been on many of their minds.

     Yes, it was a new teaching and it was one with authority. Why? Because the Word was now made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Obsession

     One of my pastoral friends came over the other day. We had a great time of eating and fellowshipping about our lives and the things of Christ. I cherish those kinds of days where Christ is the focus of our conversation.

     We then got on a topic that is near and dear to my heart. The topic was that of the word” Obsession”. It was brought up as he saw my Chicago Bears stuff that I have on my wall. Then, it really got going when he saw my old movie poster of Vertigo. You might say that I am Obsessed with both of these things. The wild part is that, at the main crux of the movie, Vertigo is Jimmy Stewart’s obsession with Kim Novak. Then again, all the great movies and stories deal with having obsession at their core.

     I believe though, at the heart of every individual, they are obsessed with something or someone in their lives. This becomes their very heart and soul, and in many instances, their god.  We become intertwined with a team, hobby, object or a person.  Some will get to a point where they cannot live without it. They will do anything to obtain that object. They will risk all that they have and who they are to have it as part of their life. They become like Gollum with his Precious.

     This one word alone, I believe, is at the heart of Christianity. We, as followers of the Lamb, are to be obsessed with Christ alone. I look at the parable of the pearl of great price in Matthew 13. Here is a man who is willing to sell all that he has for it so that he can have it as his own. The radical lifestyle of the apostles, as they left all that they had to follow after Him. 

     An obsession with Christ made his follower fearless.  They were willing, like Zacchaeus, to make up for the wrong that he had done. They were willing, like Stephen, to take a stand even though it would cost him his life. They were willing to spread the Gospel, like Paul, to those on distant shores.

     At the heart of this magnificent obsession is the word Love. He first showed us His love by being willing to die for a people who did not love Him. This is a concept which, I truly believe, that I will never understand. He, the perfect one, was willing to give of His life for His enemies.

     It is because of the love of Christ that I am obsessed with Him.  He alone, becomes that cold drink of water in a dry and thirsty land. In Christ alone will I find peace, joy, hope and a myriad of other things.  I can never repay Him for what He has done upon the cross.

     May he become our magnificent obsession. May our eyes see Jesus only, as we travel on this journey.

Home will always be where our hearts beat.

No matter how far we go.

No matter how far we roam,

Home will always be where our hearts beat.

Got a phone call from her today,

I could hear the sigh in her voice,

She was telling me how crazy her day had been,

That she missed her momma and me,

I had to tell her everything was going to be alright,

And that she would always be like the stars in our sky.

So no matter how far we go,

No matter how far we roam,

Home will always be where our hearts beat.

Lost his job down in Shreveport,

Soon after that they lost the home of their dreams,

They loaded up the U-Haul and the old Chevy,

He looked into their eyes and said a prayer,

Then they shut the door of their home one last time,

She looked at him again and then he said these words,

So no matter how far we go,

No matter how far we roam,

Home is where our hearts will always beat,

So no matter how far we go,

No matter how far we roam,

Home is where our hearts will always be.

They had to put him in the home,

Cause all the puzzles pieces no longer fit in his mind,

She put her hand into his hand one more time,

She would look deep into his blue eyes,

But there was nothing left but a vacant stare,

Then she whispered into his ear one last time.

So no matter how far we go,

No matter how far we roam,

Home is where our hearts will always beat,

So no matter how far we go,

No matter how far we roam,

Home is where our hearts will always beat.

Frontier School of the Bible. This is where Hannah now attends.

Miles of these sunflowers outside of  La Grange Wyoming.

The issue of judging. Matthew 7:1-6

Matthew 7:1 ( ESV )

---

^1£“Judge not, that you be not judged.

·         One of the most misquoted passages in all of the Word of God.

·         Today’s standard-Don’t judge period. 1. Bible says not to. 2. Be tolerant of everything and everyone. 3. The age of that’s your opinion but I have mine.  Relativism. (Certain truths and no other way to believe it. Ex. Theory of gravity.)

·         G2919κρίνωkrinōkree'-noProperly to distinguish, that is, decide (mentally or judicially); by implication to try, condemn, punish:—avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think. Strong's concordance

·         Reason why he says not to judge  in this passage is because you will be judged by God.

·         Wait a second though what about the passages that deals with judging? We know that the ultimate judgment of all mankind will be done by God. Rom. 2:16 Judge the secrets of the heart. (Motives, something we cannot do.) II Tim. 4:1 He will judge the quick (Living ones) and the dead II Tim. 4:8 He will judge as the RIGHTEOUS judge.

·         Yet, God also has allowed men to act as judges. He established courts and laws by which man would be judged here on earth. (Exodus-Deut.) Romans 13 Laws and rulers over us.

·         Paul tells the church @ Corinth to judge the brother who has fallen into sin. I Cor. 5:12, I Cor. 6:1-8 Judge over things in church matters.

·         I John 4:1 We are to test (try) the spirits whether they are of God or not. We are to confront our brothers when they are in sin. (This will take an act of Judgment. ) Matthew 18:15-20 (Another verse often badly taken out of context is found in Matthew 18:20) We are called to be fruit inspectors in Matthew 7:15-20.

·         So does the Bible contradict itself or is it more than likely that something else is going on in this passage? I believe the answer is found in the context of the following verses. Don’t just take one verse and run with it. 

Matthew 7:2 ( ESV )

---

²For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

·        We know one thing from this verse for sure. Whatever type of judgment is going on here God says we will receive the same or like kind of judgment to be placed upon us.

·         Be careful how you look upon someone. (Longhair of the 60s and 70s, Goth look, Tats or even a high pitch voice.)

·         When we put someone up against the ruler know that the ruler will be used upon us as well.

·         The only true standard of judgment will be the Word of God, not my opinion about something.

·         So my question will be in the context what kind of judgment is going on in Matthew 7:1 and following? The answer I believe is found in verses 3-4.

Matthew 7:3-4 ( ESV )

---

³Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

---

⁴Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?

·         I believe that what is going on in the context of these verses is that of judging a brother hypocritically. God wants us to know that this type of judgment will always be evil and He the Righteous Judge will condemn it.

·         Two key words in the passage are that of speck and beam. The word for speck means like a piece of a dry twig or straw that is in someone’s eye. It is painful and will lead to much misery in your life if it is not taken care of. Yet, the word for beam is that of a stick of timber or a log.

·         The first idea is that you have a person who has a speck of sin in his life that is noticeable and needs to be taken care of. Yet, the individual who sees this sin cannot see his own sin in his life which is even huger than the person who he wants to make sure that he gets things right in.

·         Secondly, the one brother who notices the sin in his companion’s life wants to make sure that he can point it out. Literally the idea would be that of, “You have sinned. I need you to know that and I will help you to take care of it.” At the heart of the issue is a proud person not seeing his own sins and wants to make sure he takes care of his brothers and that all may know. This is hypocritical judgment at its worst. (It was also one of the Pharisees greatest sins. As well as the Pharisees of today.)

Matthew 7:5 ( ESV )

---

⁵You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

·         Jesus spares no words as He calls this kind of person a Hypocrite. (One who wears a mask. He always wants everyone to know how right or spiritual he is. When in reality he is struggling with even greater sins in his own life.)

·         It’s at this moment that many will use the excuse, “Well, I can’t talk to so and so because, well you know I have some issues in my life as well.” What a cop out!! Look at what Jesus expects us to do if this is true in our lives. Which at many times it will be. Who has not acted hypocritically in their lives?

·         What are we to do? Well first of all according to Jesus He does not want us to have excuses for our own sins and hypocrisy. We are to take the beam out of our own eye. Deal with our own sins daily and first of all before our Lord. Our main concern should not be the dreadful sins of others but of our own wickedness.  Be cleansed of your sin, confess it and repent, relying upon the Holy Spirit of God to strengthen us. Only then can we see clearly again and be the blessing that God has called us to be.

·         Note though what happens next. We can then come to our brother and help him with his own sin that has entered his life.

Matthew 7:6 ( ESV )

---

⁶“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

·         Now here comes an unusual verse. I believe that in light of the context what Jesus is trying to teach his followers is that when you and I give advice or help to some they will not hear us. This will especially be true of those who do not know the Lord. They will act like animals when given advice or pearls of wisdom from the Word of God. They may even use your words against you and attack you personally.

In light of all of the above I believe that we must always use wisdom when we must judge certain matters. We are to be careful as we will be judged by the righteous judge for what we say or do. Yet, there will be times where we must judge. When those times come I believe that we are to keep the principles of Matthew 6:1-6 in mind. Here are some other principles that we should heed to as well.

1.   At all times we are to judge righteously and not as the hypocrite. Proverbs 31:9.

2.   We are to act in the spirit of humility and gentleness, knowing that we are all prone to fall. Gal. 6:1-5

3.   Our main goal is not to point out the sin but to restore our brother. Otherwise it is nothing but GOSSIP and PRIDE. Thus it becomes hypocritical in nature. Matthew 18

4.   We cannot, nor should we ever try to judge a person’s motives. This is only something that the righteous judge can do alone.

5.   Gather all sides of the story. This is always hard as it involves work, honesty and integrity to get at the bottom of something but this should above all be our goal. The Truth alone.

For Hannah and Hadassah

Watching you, as they placed you into my arms,

Made a vow to you to keep you from all harm,

I sang a tune for you; it was clearly out of tune,

I watched your little hands as they tried to touch the moon.

Watching you, as the years roll by,

Watching you, as you try to touch the skies,

I’ll always say a prayer for you, no matter what you do,

Watching you, with pride in my heart, I’ll always be watching you.

Watching you as you stumble and fall,

Seeing you get up when your backs against the wall,

Standing up for others, when no one else seemed to care,

You have been an example, you have answered our prayers.

Watching you, as the years roll by,

Watching you, as you try to touch the skies,

I’ll always say a prayer for you, no matter what you do,

Watching you, with pride in my heart, I’ll always be watching you.

Watching you as you wave good-bye,

Telling your mommy and daddy not to cry,

Know this for certain; know that this will always be true,

Your daddy will always be watching for you.

Watching you, as the years roll by,

Watching you, as you try to touch the skies,

I’ll always say a prayer for you, no matter what you do,

Watching you, with pride in my heart, I’ll always be watching you.

Letting Go

Letting Go

Though the darkness around me gathers,

Though the paths do not seem so clear,

Sometimes the burdens seem so heavy,

But you are near, yes, you are near.

So I’m letting go of my tomorrows,

I’m letting go of all my fears,

I’m letting go of all my glory,

For you are near, yes, you are near.

Like the Psalmist I feel forsaken,

Where are you when I call?

Shattered dreams at my feet are broken,

But you are near, yes, you are near.

So I’m letting go of my tomorrows,

I’m letting go of all my fears,

I’m letting go of all my glory,

For you are near, yes, you are near.

Take away the fears of my heart Lord,

Take away my desire to control the way,

Let me take hold of the hand of my Jesus,

For you are near, yes, you are near.

So I’m letting go of my tomorrows,

I’m letting go of all my fears,

I’m letting go of all my glory,

My Jesus you are here, yes, you are here.

HADDY, HANNAH AND EMILY

FOURTH OF JULY AT LAKE CHARLES

Fishers of Men. Mark 1:16-20

     The Baptist had prepared men and women for the Christ. Now, Jesus was preaching to the world to believe in the Gospel. In the following verses we see how this began to affect those around Him. He would now begin to call a select few to follow Him.  These would be the inner core; these would be the Fishers of men.

Mark 1:16 ( ESV )

---

^16£Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

     Jesus would not look for those who wore fancy robes to begin this movement. He would look towards just some common fishermen.  He would find many of them along the Sea of Galilee. When compared to the rest of the world it would seem such a small place to start his ministry. The Sea of Galilee is only about 7 miles wide at some parts and only 13 miles long. It was known for its good fishing. It would also act like a central location for His ministry.

     The first two men that He would call alongside of Him would be that of Simon (Peter), and Andrew his brother. This was not the first time they had met each other. In John 2:35-42 we know that Andrew had been a follower of John the Baptist. John would point him to Jesus by calling Him, “The Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.” This caught Andrew’s attention and he would walk with Jesus for some time. In the midst of his excitement he had to tell someone about Jesus. Andrew would first of all introduce Jesus to his brother Simon.

     For many of us the story has not changed. Quite often after we have been introduced to Jesus we cannot wait to tell our family about Him. We want those who are closest to us to get to know Him as well. Often we are discouraged by our family when they tell us they do not care or do not want to believe. Yet, what joy floods our soul when they follow Him.  

    Life had gone on since that meeting. They were already back to doing what they had done for a living, which was fishing the Sea of Galilee. They were fishing with their net probably close to shore. The fish may have been schooling and had come more to the shore line. I love to fish, but for these men, this was their life.

    I have often thought Lord, why fishermen? I don’t know if I still have the answer or not. I know this to be true, like Warren Weirsbe stated, “Fishermen worked together and were known for their patience, energy, and stamina.” They also with this trade understood the ups and downs of life better than most of us do. These men would have lives that would be marked by these things. Jesus would now call them to work alongside of Him.

Mark 1:17 ( ESV )

---

¹⁷And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

     The words that Jesus now shared with these men were just a simple command.  Yet, these few words would forever change these men and their lives. He did not beg them. He just simply said, “Follow me.” Literally, He was saying, “Get behind me and act as a disciple of mine.’ This would take an act of humility on their part. What is even wilder is when we realize that prophets called people to follow God, not them. Jesus though looks at these men and says, “Follow me.”

     He was going to make them into fishers of men, but first of all, before He says this, He tells them, “and I will make you become..” This was not something that they would immediately overnight possess. There is a process in us becoming followers. We do not become fishers of men by just snapping our fingers. He must do a work within us. This is a work that would take our Lord and Master over 3 and a half years while He was here on earth. When we disciple someone we must realize that it is a never ending work and maturity comes through the Holy Spirit alone. This I do know, He has promised to continue to do His good work within us. He will equip us for the ministry that He has for us.

     In the O.T. so often we would read symbolically about fishermen in a negative sense of the word as it dealt with the judgment of God. Here in this passage being fishers of men is an encouraging statement. We are called to reach out to the lost and dying of this world. There is no greater joy then to see souls that come to Jesus. What is even more awesome is realizing that our God wants us to be a part of that good work.

Mark 1:18 ( ESV )

---

¹⁸And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

     No questions asked. Jesus had called them to follow and they immediately did as they were told. They did not wait, debate or event think about it they were called and they would GO. One of my favorite songs of all time was written by Steven Curtis Chapman when he said these words, “We will abandon it all for the sake of the call, No other reason at all but for the sake of the call. Wholly devoted to live and to die for the sake of the call.”

     Why would they leave their jobs? Why would they leave it all on the shores of Galilee? It was not because of some religion instead they would follow the God man.  Not religion but a person who would become their whole focus in life. O, that we would allow our God to touch our hearts in this way. We will follow. We will obey no matter what.  We follow the God who created the stars in the sky and everything around us.

Mark 1:19 ( ESV )

---

¹⁹And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.

     The next two people Jesus would call to follow him would be just a little further away from Andrew and Peter. Jesus would now see another set of brothers by the name of James and John. These two were according to Luke 5:7-10 partners with Peter and Andrew. Later on because of their zeal they would be called, “The sons of thunder.” Yet, Jesus would change them as well to where later on John would be known as the beloved apostle. He would also be known as the apostle who spoke of the love of God.

     Please don’t miss the last part of this verse as to what these men were doing. They were mending their nets. This was a very tedious work that had to be done on a daily basis after they had fished.  They would mend their nets so that they could be used for a future date. The picture here is of two men who are just going on with their normal life when Jesus would call them into a life of sacrifice and service.

Mark 1:20 ( ESV )

---

²⁰And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

     When Jesus saw them He immediately called them to follow Him as well. They would follow Him without delay. The pleasure of reading about these men is that their walks with Him, were above all the first and most important thing in their lives.

     They left their father Zebedee to follow after Jesus. I believe that they loved their Father. I also believe that they loved their Lord even more. Remember what Jesus would later on say, “Whoever loves Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” They did not leave him totally alone as they left him in the boat with the hired servants. The main issue here is that we are to love our Lord even more than we do our own family and loved ones.

     These men are marked as those who would follow. They are marked as men who would leave all they had in this world to follow after Him. He was their life. He was their number one priority. He was their God. They would be His fishermen.

Oh Yes, I have more pictures.

Well maybe, I don't have more pictures.